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Kerem IsmailAn excavator banksman keeps people out of the machine's reach. On a 360, that includes the counterweight swinging round behind, not only the bucket. You mark the exclusion zone and guide the operator by hand signals or radio, and the machine stops when contact breaks. Training means the core banksman skills plus the site's briefing. If the excavator lifts a load on a chain or sling, that's a lifting operation with its own rules.
Why a 360 excavator needs a banksman
HSE's guide to vehicles on construction sites, HSG144, says excavator accidents commonly happen when the machine slews, reverses or moves around site. Its example is a ground worker killed standing in the blind spot of a reversing excavator.
HSE's HSG151 warns that people can be struck by slewing counterbalances. HSG144 also asks for more than 0.5 metres of clearance between the machine and the nearest obstruction, particularly at the ballast weight, which is the counterweight.
CDM 2015 defines a vehicle to include any mobile work equipment, so an excavator counts. Under regulation 28, when you direct an operator who can't see everything, the duty to warn people at risk falls on the operator, on you, or on both.
Setting the exclusion zone around the machine
HSG144 gives no distance in metres. It says to keep people away from where the excavator works, behind barriers. So the zone covers everything the machine reaches as it slews, the bucket at full reach and the counterweight behind.
Where people on foot could approach, HSG144 asks for bunting, fencing or similar to create and maintain an exclusion area. Move the barriers when the machine tracks.
On road and street works, HSG151 says small sites may need mini excavators so the public isn't struck during slewing. If your dig sits next to a road, public highway banksman training covers what you can and can't do beyond the gate.
Signals, radios and losing contact with the operator
In Great Britain, the standard hand signals are in Schedule 1 of the Safety Signs and Signals Regulations 1996. Banksman vs traffic marshal lists all 14, and HSE's guide L64 draws them.
Stand where you can see the whole manoeuvre without putting yourself at risk. If one signaller can't, the regulations say extra signallers should be used. They also limit a signaller's duties to directing manoeuvres and keeping nearby workers safe, so banking is your only job.
A radio helps when the operator can't see you. For spoken instructions, the regulations suggest code words such as stop, raise, lower, and danger for an emergency stop.
If contact breaks, the machine stops. HSG144's checklist for drivers says to stop if you lose sight of the signaller. The 1996 regulations add that an operator who can't carry out an instruction safely must halt the manoeuvre and ask for new instructions. You can't stop the machine yourself, so agree beforehand that a lost signal, an unclear signal or anyone entering the zone means stop.
Trenches, slopes and what's above and below the dig
CDM 2015 regulation 22 requires steps to stop people, equipment or material falling into an excavation, and to stop the ground beside it being overloaded.
HSE's excavations guidance says not to park plant and vehicles close to the sides, because the extra loading makes collapse more likely. So you watch the edge as well as the bucket.
Check what's below, too. HSE says excavation work shouldn't start until steps have been taken to identify and prevent any risk from underground services.
On a slope, HSG144 says to create level work areas and carefully control the bucket's swing downhill, so the machine doesn't overturn. And look up. HSE warns that burns and electrocution can result if an excavator touches or comes close enough to overhead power lines to cause arcing.
Digging or lifting: where banksman work stops
Digging and loading spoil is normal earth-moving. Lowering a pipe into a trench on a chain is lowering a load, and under LOLER 1998 that's a lifting operation.
L113, HSE's code of practice on lifting equipment, lists an excavator adapted to lift with attachments such as forks, grabs or lifting magnets among the equipment LOLER can cover. It adds, "but not when used for normal earth-moving operations".
Once it's lifting, regulation 8 of LOLER applies. A competent person must plan every lift properly, and it must be appropriately supervised and carried out safely.
L113 says the person guiding the operator through a lift "may be referred to as a signaller or a banksman". That person needs a clear view of the load's path, a safe position and a reliable way to communicate with the operator. HSE says anyone directing lifting operations must be trained and competent.
| Guiding the machine | Signalling a lift | |
|---|---|---|
| What the machine is doing | Digging, loading spoil, slewing and tracking | Lifting or lowering a load, such as a pipe on a chain |
| Main law | CDM 2015 regulations 22 (excavations), 27 (traffic routes) and 28 (vehicles) | LOLER 1998 regulation 8, alongside CDM 2015 |
| Planning | The site's risk assessment | A lift planned by a competent person |
| Who does it | A trained banksman authorised by site management | A signaller trained and competent to direct lifts |
Digging and lifting with an excavator, accurate as of October 2026.
If it's carrying a load, not digging, treat it as a lift and ask who planned it and who's signalling.
The Builders Academy's online slinger signaller awareness course introduces the lifting side. It covers roles in lifting, the legislation, slinging methods, communication and lift planning. It's awareness training, so who signals each lift is still decided when the lift is planned.
What excavator banksman training should cover
Training as a banksman for excavators has two parts, the knowledge and a site briefing on the machine, the dig and the zone.
HSG144 says signallers should be authorised by site management and easy to pick out on site. Which ticket a site accepts is the site's call, and the traffic marshal guide explains which tickets sites accept.
Guiding the muck-away lorries an excavator loads is covered in vehicle banksman training.
Before the machine starts, walk the slew zone with the operator, agree the stop signal and decide who's allowed in. To get the core skills first, book our online traffic marshal and banksman course. It covers risk assessment, hand signals, UK health and safety law, and guiding machinery and vehicles.
Frequently asked questions
Does an excavator need a banksman?
Usually, when people work near it. HSG144 says an excavator should have a signaller, standing somewhere safe, directing the machine and anyone on foot. Under CDM 2015 an excavator is a vehicle, so where the operator can't see fully, the operator, the person directing, or both must warn people at risk.
What does an excavator banksman do?
An excavator banksman keeps people out of everything the machine reaches as it slews, counterweight included. They guide the operator by agreed hand signals or radio, and the machine stops whenever contact breaks. If the excavator lifts a load, a signaller trained for lifts is needed.
How far back should people stand from an excavator?
There's no single distance in metres. HSG144 says to keep people away from where the excavator works, behind barriers, so the zone covers everything the bucket and counterweight can reach. Its 0.5 metre figure is different. That's the minimum gap between the machine and the nearest obstruction, not a safe distance for people.
What signals does an excavator banksman use?
Excavator banksmen use the coded hand signals in Schedule 1 of the Safety Signs and Signals Regulations 1996, which apply in Great Britain. HSE's L64 guidance illustrates them on pages 42 and 43. Danger, both arms up with palms forward, means emergency stop. Spoken code words include stop, raise, lower and danger.
Is signalling a lift different from guiding an excavator?
Yes. When an excavator digs, that's normal earth-moving, and the banksman guides the machine. When it lifts or lowers a load, such as a pipe on a chain, that's a lifting operation under LOLER 1998, and a competent person must plan it. HSE says people directing lifts must be trained and competent.
Can the operator work without a banksman?
Sometimes. HSE puts segregation at the top of the hierarchy of control and says banksmen should be used only where other controls aren't possible. If barriers keep everyone out and the operator can see the whole area, a banksman may not be needed. Where people must work near the machine, use a trained one.
Can I do excavator banksman training online?
Partly. You can learn the knowledge online. The Builders Academy's traffic marshal and banksman course teaches guiding machinery and vehicles, hand signals, assessing risk and UK health and safety regulation. Before you bank an excavator, you'll still need the site's briefing on the machine and the dig, and authorisation from site management.
Kerem Ismail is Managing Director of The Builders Academy and has been helping people secure work in the construction industry since 2016.
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